This.... . . . In my own defence, I've got the flu and the meds are driving my brain into oblivion. Out of boredom and desperation I Googled a term something like "best series with strong male characters and family". Google answered. I followed the links. And that's where the manly stuff ended. What came up was a series by Nora Roberts called "Quinn Brothers Trilogy" - about 4 brothers living life in the Chesapeake Bay area. That sounded perfect! And Nora Roberts wrote that book about the doctor years ago and it was intense, deep, historical, and fascinating. Wrong. Somehow I got Nora Roberts mixed up with Noah Gordon who wrote the book/series "Physician". At any rate, thinking I was getting a real bang for my buck, I paid and downloaded Nora's series because this flu sucks and I want to read for the next week and ignore real life. I started with the first book called "Sea Swept" and got into a bit, but couldn't help thinking it was sparse compared to the "Physician" novel and what I was expecting about the 4 brothers and their relationship. Then, one of the brothers hooks up with the social worker who is watching out for another brother.....and I got a little upset - this is about the brothers, not some cheap tramp and one guy's conquests. Yet, I continue to read......and steam......and toss the dang thing down. It's all about this chick and the oldest brother!! Jeez!! Why??? So, I went online to read the reviews regarding the author, only to see she didn't write the book I was thinking of in the first place. And that her 'romance' novels are #1 in everyone's view! Big Sigh. Now I have to finish the series because I want to know how it ends. Damn. I'm reading romance now. Please shoot me.
There are some romance novels out there even a guy could like (I think). Nora Robert's Northern Lights was more guy friendly if I recall correctly. Try The Winner's Curse. It has more substance than the standard romance formula. (Warning, it's the first in a trilogy. The last book comes out this March.)
And thus, I'm hooked and doomed Another Big Sigh . . . romances . . . does it ever end?? Sigh, again. You just know I'm Googling "The Winner's Curse" right now.....gawd help me. Thanks for the tip .
You could just google the ending or look it up on a wikia the ending just so you spoil it for yourself and stop reading. I've done that before (albeit not with romance) because I like the story but disliked the writing so much I couldn't force myself to read it any longer. That said, I have nothing against the romance, either as a genre or otherwise. just some romance.... ugh, makes me feel like if I am watching those stupid talk shows: "Omg! she's soooo fat!" uuugh, who cares?
I'm a guy and I accidentally ended up writing romance. Didn't mean to. Don't even remember doing it. But I'm ok with that. Feels natural and important and works with what I'm doing so who cares? No problems with romance. Just with bad romance.
I went on a serious vampire trip a decade back, and then found out that most vampire novels are romance, and jumped from there into Victorian era romance. What struck me about them, more than anything, was how recycled the plots were. Once you've read a romance novel, you can figure out any other, usually just from the cover art.
Nothing wrong with reading romance novels. Just be sure it's actually a good romance novel. @Jack Asher - The same could be said for any genre. If you're savvy enough, and the cover art is drawn in such a way, you can pretty much guess what the book is going to be about.
Sort of... What I mean is that if you gave me a Victorian romance novel and introduce the main characters, I could tell you exactly what each one would do. Dorris will get compromised by Willard, Keith will try and run away with Blanche, Willard will challenge Brett to a duel, etc. There's a lot of breast cupping too, which I don't really understand. That seems like a fairly simple gesture, but it's always referenced in the same way.
From the Amazon comments: Stars: 1 out of 5. "I was promised Dino boning got a body-job. She climaxed twice but the dino only came once. Also, more plot than reptile reproduction. One star." Stars: 1 out of 5. "I expected literary greatness. I was waiting for a vanilla masterpiece about the pure-hearted love between woman and beast, between homo sapiens and Tyrannosaurus Rex. What I got was indiscriminate mesh of bodies that are devoid of meaning and passion. What am I going to do with my lube and massage oil now?!?" Stars: 5 out of 5. "This is the best book I ever read. I'm highly looking forward to the next in the series... Taken by the raptor." Stars: 5 out of 5. "I had the biggest T-Rexion reading this book."
I read a Horror novel that had Romance in it. It was the cliche 'Good Girl falls the Bad Boy' type of sub plot. It was The Select by F. Paul Wilson, and apparently is YA though it was fairly adult. Anywho, it was the closest I have gotten to Romance so far, despite the characters being in college. I know college kids in a Horror story cliche too. Didn't ruin the story even with these common tropes in like everything. It was cute, but hit every single note on the cliche keyboard on cue.
Ha! John Green's The Fault in Our Stars didn't have any breast grabb- *suddenly remembers the part near the beginning where Isaac is groping his girlfriend during a make-out session and Augustus is observing quietly and muttering, "I wonder if he's giving her an impromptu breast exam..."* Goddammit...
Wait so... If I add breast cupping then people will buy my books regardless of anything else? Why has it taken this long for me to be told?
Well that's just a logical fallacy. Most books contain the word "the" in them. Including that word is no guaranty of their sale.
After you finish the series, read some Sidney Sheldon. He adds a dash of science fiction to the mix, so you won't feel quite so doomed. And just for the record, I like a good romance. It's just that so many of them get too... I don't know (makes me shudder).
Because anything that manages to be both that stupid and that amount of fun is a good thing to have in the world.
Nothing wrong with reading romances, nor any need to perpetuate the stigma in some circles. Jane Eyre. Wuthering Heights. Pride and Prejudice. Gone with The Wind. Dr Zhivago. Anna Karenina. Romeo and Juliet. &c.
I know I'm probably talking to a brick wall here but... I think I'll risk sounding like tumblr. Just this once. *shudders* The only reason you feel so uncomfortable reading a "female" genre is because you are male. The only way to get rid of that uncomfortable feeling is to own what you like, despite your gender. I am a girl and I liked to play with dump trucks as a kid; somehow, society praises that. However, a boy plays with dolls and the parents have a heart attack (despite research that says that boys who play with dolls are more likely to have better relationships). Break the gender norms and play with your dolls, dammit! *shakes fist*